Dreaming- Challenge for NerdClan
by Illuminastro
Summary: If anyone cared, her world would be different. If only it wasn't just a dream. [Challenge for NerdClan]


**Challenge for NerdClan.  
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Stormfrost's eyes were unfocused and seemed to gaze beyond nowhere, and his expression of an eternal scream chilled her pounding heart. The shriek still rang in her ears and every piece of fur on her had risen to twice it's size. Thoughts and attempts to wail and cry out in terror scattered her mind, and her paws felt like clumps of stone; unable to move. _No, _was the word that kept rolling in her head, until she barely heard it anymore. _No, no, no..._

He couldn't be dead. Nothing would ever be the same if he was dead.

"Fallenwhisper?" two bright green orbs peered out at her from where she stood rooted to the ground, shattered. No reply streamed through her head. Fallenwhisper closed her eyes and opened them again, as if hoping to wake up from a dream. A sleek black she cat wriggled out from the bushes and brushed against her, the small warmth radiating from her wrapping Fallenwhisper momentarily in a little web of comfort.

But then her eyes found Stormfrost again, and the damp, lonely sense covered her again.

"Fallenwhisper," the she cat pushed her muzzle into Fallenwhisper's fur sympathetically. "He died as a warrior, defending his Clan."

"You don't understand, Hollyshadow." the growl left her throat before she could silence it. Hollyshadow didn't flinch or pull away, but instead curled her tail with Fallenwhisper's.

"If I don't understand, no one does," the she cat murmured.

Fallenwhisper broke apart from Hollyshadow and snarled, "Of course! No one understands! No one would care, anyways." the black she cat met her eyes, shock glimmering inside her gaze of green.

"Fallenwhisper.." Hollyshadow shook her head softly. "The wind whispers your name, but all you feel from it is the cold.." a chill ran down Fallenwhisper's spine.

"You medicine cats," she snorted. "So prophetic and mystical." Amusement glinted in Hollyshadow's eyes and she purred.

"Us medicine cats," she laughed gently. "_Very _superior and all-knowing." Her green eyes flashed and she pressed close to her sister, and Fallenwhisper didn't pull away yet. "But mind you, we know best for a cat's health."

Fallenwhisper let out a growl. "This has nothing to do with health." She lowered her head, her back arching lower until Hollyshadow's warmth wasn't seeping into her fur in such a way that seemed to melt her hostile cover.

"Grieving too deeply can affect one's health." Hollyshadow murmured, but didn't persist Fallenwhisper further. The soft thud of her retreating pawsteps rose into the air. When she had gone, Fallenwhisper closed her eyes and let a sharp cry bubble up from the mound of grief stuck in her heart. The wail surrounded her as if she was underwater, in a lake of sadness.

Fallenwhisper sunk to the ground and curled herself into a tight ball next to Stormfrost, and the last thing she thought was how a bit of warmth still pulsed from him, just barely, as if he were only sleeping.

_The sun's glow seeped through the forest, the hazy light of dawn sinking down to curl through the forest ground. Flowers unfurled their petals to let the sunlight bounce off, sending small rays of light to tease one's gaze. Fallenwhisper could feel the warmth and comfort around her, and she ignored the confusing feeling of forgotten grief and despair sinking away from her. _

"_Hello?" she called out. The calm atmosphere of the forest was silent, and then she heard rustles among the undergrowth. "Come out," she mewed, no feeling of weariness or sense of caution meeting her. She watched only with interest as a dozen cats slowly entered her small gap in the forest. No panic or confusion flashed through her as the cats formed a circle around Fallenwhisper. _

_The cats' murmurs filled her ears, humming against the stale silence that had clogged her hearing. "She is here," they whispered. "She has come! She is here."_

_Fallenwhisper tipped her head to the side in wonder. "What do you mean?" she mewed, flickering her gaze to each cat in turn. But faintly recognition bloomed inside of her. Respect had formed inside of their gazes._

"_Look into her auma," breathed one. "Notice how noble she is." The others nodded, agreeing with awed murmurs as they inspected her as if she was a piece of prey._

"_Excuse me?" she mewed, a bit annoyed. Something was becoming clearer to her, but she still couldn't quite put her paw on it. "Can you tell me what's going on?" _

"_Confidence," muttered one, before dipping it's head respectfully to her. "We are ThunderClan. We are Clan cats who train in the way of the stars, and you are the one the stars call for."_

_Something snapped into place inside of her, and her dumbfounded expression flickered instantly to an utterly bewildered one. "Clan cats? Clan cats train as warriors... not.. whatever you are supposed to be." Fallenwhisper mewed. And ThunderClan.. no.. that just didn't seem right. Something in her heart cried out, but she couldn't extinguish it._

"_You must come to our camp." one of the mysterious cats mewed hurriedly, not even acknowledging her comment. "He will want to meet you." As the cats herded Fallenwhisper further into the forest, more and more of herself linked together. Her heart's calm trance shattered and her claws flexed in and out nervously. Every instinct inside of her was poised to fight, her paws ready to run. _

_And... who was 'He'?  
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_At last the strange cats led her into a hollow, and she spotted more and more cats around, each and every one having the deep, unnerving gaze as her finders'._

"_Stormfrost!" the name pierced her. She knew it from somewhere, it stirred something deep inside of her, and every moment flashing back to her she could feel it coming closer. She watched a large grey tom approach them, nodding to the cats who had brought her here. Mutely they trailed away until it was just her and the tom named Stormfrost staring at each other._

"_No." he mewed immediately, as she opened her mouth to speak. "You know who I am. You know what this is."_

_"A dream.." surprise lit up inside of Fallenwhisper as something else spoke inside of her. "This is a dream, and you are a warrior. A warrior, and.. you were my mentor." _

"_But.. you're dead." she breathed. _

_Stormfrost shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them and nodded. "That's right." he agreed. "And you may as well be!" That took her by such surprise that she was speechless for a moment. _

"_What..?" hurt bubbled up inside of her._

"_Your Clanmates don't care about you, Fallenwhisper." he hissed. "No one does, can't you see? I never cared. Everyone who pretended to doesn't. And it's time you accept it." Indignation and fury flashed through her as he turned and stalked away. Scattered thoughts flared in and out of her mind, pressing against her. No one cared... truly, no one cared about her. She was worthless._

"_The wind whispers your name but all you feel is the cold, Fallenwhisper." Hollyshadow's voice rang through her ears. She flattened her ears in confusion and turned to walk away. She couldn't figure out what to believe._

_Was every Half-Clan cat doomed to be like her; an outcast even with herself, unwanted? _

**Oh my frick it SUCKED. No one knows why no one likes her, it's gappy and has that feeling of incompletion. Urg. I'm sorry, NerdClan.. It's so late and I needed to get this done and I'm freaking tired, man.. I'll go edit it just to make it a bit more decent.**


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